Mechanical tally



E. T. BACH MECHANICAL TALLY Filed Jan. 18, 1954 July so, 1957 ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,801,054 MECHANICAL TALLY I Elmer T. Bach, Baltimore, Md.

Application January 18, 1954, Serial No. 404,445

6 Claims. (Cl. 235-110 The present invention relates to a mechanical golf tally particularly adapted to tallying the number of strokes made for each hole played up to eighteen holes.

Most earnest players of golf always like to keep their score for each hole so that when they have finished they can compare them with their past records or par for the various holes, or they may wish to have such a record to compare with their partner, or for their own personal satisfaction.

The usual method of keeping score is to have a card and pencil with the number of the hole shown on the card opposite which is a space to insert the number of strokes made or taken to play the hole. This method is all right, and will in all probability be used as long as the game is played. The present invention is more for individual or two-some players who do not wish to be bothered with pencil and cards, which they easily lose, or they may wish to have something a little more attractive.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved, compact, mechanical tally for scoring the strokes taken by a golf player for each hole.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical device for tallying such scores.

A further object of the invention is to provide'a device that will be easy to operate and not likely to be turned by accident when being carried.

While several objects of the invention have been pointed out, other objects, uses and advantages will become-more apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed which consists of its novel structure, combination and arrangement of parts, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the specifications and particularly pointed out in the appended claims in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the device.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the rotating elements.

Figure 5 is a view in elevation of the same.

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the separating elements. I

Fig. 7 is a view in elevation of the same.

In describing the invention like reference" characters are used to indicate like and similar parts throughout the several views.

The device comprises a frame or housing 10 having a front portion 10, a top 10 and bottom portion 10", two side portions 11 and 11 and a back portion 11". A pair of parallel stems 12 and 14 are supported Within the housing and secured to the bottom and top portions through proper apertures therein. The lower end of the stems are provided with caps 16 and 18 which are fixedly secured to the end of the stems by solder, or other ICC well-known methods, for supporting the stems in the bottom portion 10". The upper end of the stems are provided with internal threads into which studs 20 and 22 arethreadably receivable as shown best in Figure 3 for securing the stem in the top portion 10". Mounted on each of the stems are a plurality of rotatable elements in the form of circular disks 24. These disks are relatively thick in comparison to their diameter and are provided with small cars or projections 26 evenly spaced about their circumference for manually rotating the disk. There are ten of these cars about each disk. Between each car on the disk is a number indiciaillustrated by the numerals 28 and 29 in Figure 4. The disks are preferably of a truncated cone form and are positioned upon the stem as shown in Figure 3. The under side of the disks are provided with a plurality of recesses 25 to correspond to the number of characters used on the face of the disk. The purpose of these recesses will-be more fully described later in the specification. The stems are also provided with slots 30 and 31 running substantially the full length of the stem.

Between each of the disks 24 are relatively thin washers 32. The diameter of the washers is substantially that of the larger diameter of the disk members. The washer is provided with a central opening of such size as to be slidably receivable over the stem. Within the opening is a tongue 34 which engages the slots 30 and 31 of the stems to keep the washers from rotating. The Washer is further provided with a rounded projection 36 extending upwardly from the upper surface thereof for engaging one of the ten recesses formed within the bottom of the disks for temporarily holding the disk in a predetermined location.

The front of the housing, as shown in Figure 1, is provided with vertical slots 38 and 39 through which the respective numbers carried on the disks may be viewed. Extending along each side of the slots and opposite each one of the disks is a number representing the number of the hole of golf played. It will be noted the row of numbers on the left of the housing extends from one to nine inclusive, and the numbers extending along the right side of the housing run from ten to eighteen inclusive. Therefore, opposite each rotatable disk there is a number to indicate the hole number of the golf course.

The heads of the studs 20 and 22 are provided with small recesses along their outer edges for receiving a handle 40 or other suitable means for carrying the device or attaching it to the golf bag or to the person of the user.

The device is assembled by first securing the cap members 16 and 18 to the stems which are inserted through the apertures within the bottom of the frame. Pins 42 and 44 are used to engage both the caps and the housing to retain the slotted stems in correct position. After the stems are inserted through the bottom apertures there is placed over the stem a spring washer 46 having a very light tension, just enough to keep the spacing and holding washers 32 and the disks 24 in contact with each other. Over the bottom spring washer a spacing and holding washer 32 is placed which will slide over the stem to contact the spring washer, and over the spacing and holding washer a rotatable disk is placed. On the bottom rotatable disk another spacing and holding washer and disk are placed until there are nine spacing washers and nine disks on each stem. Over the top of the upper disk is an upper spring washer 48 which like the bottom spring washer 46 keeps the disks 24 and the holding washers 32 in frictional contact. When the spring washer 48 has been added the studs 20 and 22 are then tightly screwed into the upper ends of the stems as shown best in Figure 3 after which the end of the handle 40 is attached to the stud heads as previously described.

After the device has been assembled, the disk members are manually rotated by the ears, which are easily engaged by the finger or thumb, at the back of the housing. In starting, the disks are rotated until all the-zeroes appear opposite the slots in the front cover.

In use, after the player has played the first :hole he rotates the disk opposite the numeral one to the number of strokes that were used in playing that'particular hole. The washer immediately below the disk will act to retain the disk at the designated place by the action of the projection 36 engaging the recess 25 opposite the numbershown on the disk. The same action will take place throughout the other disks and their corresponding holding washers. The spring washers allowing enough movement along the stem to .allow the projecting member 36 to move out and into the recesses on the under surfaces of thedisks.

With this device the number of strokes takenfor each and every hole of golf may be registered independently of the other.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is not intended as a limitation; therefore, the scope of the invention is found in the wording of the appended claims.

I claim: a

1. Ina mechanical tally comprising a housing having at least a front and a top and bottom portion, a pair of parallel stems fixedly secured to the bottom and top portions, vertical slots extending from top to bottom Within-the front of the housing opposite each of the stems, a plurality of rotatable disks carried by "the stems adapted to rotate about each of the stems, a disk holding washer slidable only over each of the stems and located between each disk and beneath the bottom disks, means carried by the holding washer and the stems for preventing the holding washers from rotating, means carried by the washer for cooperating with means carried by the disk for temporarily holding the disk in a plurality of predetermined locations, means for allowing for a slight movement of the disks and holding washers axially of the stems and means carried on the disks for manually engaging the disk for rotating the same.

2. In a mechanical tally comprising a housing having at least a front, top and bottom panel, a pair of parallel stems fixedly secured to the bottom and top portions of the housing, the front portion of the housing having slots extending from bottom to top within the front portion opposite the said stems, a plurality of rotatable disks carried on the stems adapted to rotate about their respective stems, a disk holding washer slidably mounted on each of the stems and located between each disk and beneath the bottom disks, a longitudinal groove-extending substantially the full length of the stem, a tongue carried by the slidable holding washer of such size as to engage the said slots in the stems for preventing the holding washer from rotating, means carried by the washer for cooperating with means carried by the disk for temporarily holding the disk in one of ten predetermined locations, a spring adjacent the ends of the column of disks and holding washers for allowing a slight elongated movement of the column axially of the stems and means carried on the disks for manually engaging the disk for rotating the same.

3. In a mechanical tally comprising a housing having at least a front portion, a top and bottom portion, a pair of parallel stem members fixedly secured to the top and bottom portions of the housing, the front portion of the housing having a pair of slots extending from bottom to top opposite the said stems, a plurality of rotatable disks carriedon the stems having a plurality of evenly spaced recesses arranged about the under surface thereof, a disk holding washer slidably receivable over the stems and located between each disk and beneath the bottom disks, a longitudinal groove extending substantially the full length of the stem, a tongue carried by the holding washer of such size as to engage the said slots in the stems for preventing the holding washer from rotating, an arbor extending outwardly from the surface of the holding washer of such size as to engage temporarily the recesses in the disk as the same is rotated for frictionally holding the disk at a selected location, a spring washer adjacent the ends of each stern adapted to contact the ends of the column of disks and holding washers for allowing a slight elongating movement of the column axially of the stems for allowing the arbor to move in and out of the recesses carried by the disks, a plurality of ears extending about each of the disks for manually engaging the disk for rotating the same, indicia located between the said ears adapted to be opposite the'slot's when the disk is moved from one recess engagement with the washer arbor to another.

4. A mechanical tally comprising a frame including side sections and top and bottom sections, a pair of stationary parallel stems extending between the top and bottom sections, a plurality of individual rotatable disks having parallel top and bottom surfaces, each disk carrying a plurality of evenly spaced numbers about its outer face mounted over the stems and adapted to rotate thereon, a non-rotatable washer slidably receivable over the stem members located between each of the disks and at the bottom of the frame adjacent the bottom surface of the bottom disk, resilient means adjacent at least one end of the stems for holding the disks in frictional contact with the washers lying therebetween, each of the washers carrying a projection, the bottom surface of each disk carrying a plurality of evenly spaced depressions of such size as to receive the said projections on the washers whereby, the disks may be rotated about the stem having a predetermined number of spot stops with the nonrotatable washers, the side sections of the frame having an opening opposite each stem and disks thereon for viewing a number carried on the disk surfaces, the location of the member on the disk being opposite the opening in the frame when the projections on the disk have engaged one of the depressions in the disk, each disk having a plurality of spaced engaging means about the outer surface of the disk adapted to be engaged by the finger for rotating the disks independently of each other, the frame having a second opening adjacent the back through which the disks may be operated.

5. A mechanical tally comprising a frame including at least one side section and a top and bottom section, a pair of stationary parallel stems, a plurality of individual digit carrying disks rotatably received over the stems and adapted to rotate thereon, each disk having a plurality of extended ears extending outwardly from their outer circumferential surface equal to the number of digits carried on the disk a non-rotatable washer slidably receivable of the stem members located between each of the disks and at the bottom of the frame adjacent the bottom of the last disk, resilient means adjacent at least one end of the stem for holding the disks in frictional contact with the washers lying therebetween and means carried by each of the washers for spot engagement with at least one of the disks.

6. A mechanical tally comprising a frame including at least one side section and a top section and bottom section, a pair of stationary parallel stems extending between the top and bottom sections, a plurality of individual disks having parallel top and bottom surfaces, each disk carrying a plurality of evenly spaced numbers about its outer face mounting rotatably receivable over the stems and adapted to rotate thereon, a non-rotatable washer slidably receivable over the stem members located between each of the diks and at the bottom of the frame adjacent the bottom of the last disk, resilient means adjacent at least one end of the stems for holding the disks in frictional contact with the washer lying therebetween, each of the washers carrying a projection, one parallel surface of each disk carryinga plurality of evenly spaced 5 6 depressions of such size as to receive the said projection References Cited in the file of this patent on the washer whereby the disks may be rotated about the UNITED STATES PATENTS stem having a predetermined number of spot stops with the non-rotatable washer, the side section of the frame 1,235,924 Read 7, 1917 having an opening opposite each stem and disks thereon 5 1,774,015 26, 1930 for viewing a single number carried on the disk sur- 2,349,452 Musollno y 1944 faces, the locating of the number on the disk being op- FOREIGN PA posite the opening in the frame when the pro ect1on on 624,110 Great Britain May 27, 1949 thedisk has engaged one of the depressions in the disk. 

